060614 – FIRE IT UP FRIDAY!

I was lucky enough to take a couple of days off this week and head down to Newport, RI with my family. Jessica had a conference during the days so I was able to spend some Daddy time with my girls. A good vacation is when you can get some great rest and be in bed by 9pm. It is rare that I am able to get the same type of rest when I am home.

As athletes, we often overlook the importance of nutrition and sleep for performance. Too often we focus solely on the time we spend while in the gym. Pushing our bodies farther than before to squeeze out every last drop of energy. Now that we have Alex on board, weekly blogging about nutrition, and have held multiple nutrition challenges, everyone understands that you CAN’T OUTWORK A SH*TTY DIET.

So, that leaves us with sleep. How many hours a night do you routinely sleep? There is a ton of research out there suggesting 7-10 hours is the optimal range. The number does truly vary by many factors: age, gender, region to name a few. What is most important is the hours required routinely and any accumulated sleep debt.

For example, lets say I normally sleep for 7 hours but there is this deadline at work and I pull a couple of nights with only 3 hours of sleep. I have accumulated 8 hours of sleep debt and it will have an impact on my functions. The body is going to yearn to get back to homeostasis and your performance will suffer until it does.

Beyond just day to day performance, habitual sleep deprivation can contribute to the following:

increased risk of obesity

increased risk of heart problems and diabetes

increased risk for depression and substance abuse

decreased mental acuity

Make sleep a priority just the same as you make your training a priority. Schedule it in and don’t allow it to simply be a go to task after everything else is complete. Stop whatever you are doing and get to bed!